H. Billiot Fils Brut Rose

When I am making my choices for holiday drinking this season, I will definitely be drinking this! Pure and classy, dry yet ripe, with raspberries, licorice, red roses, vanilla cream and spices swirling from the glass in the nose & mouth. 100% Grand Cru, highest quality fruit from a tiny ... more

Nicolas Potel Volnay Vielles Vignes 2005

Nicolas Potel is one of a new breed of vinificateurs who are redefining the meaning of négociant in Burgundy. With his father, the highly respected Gérard Potel, who was manager of a well-known domaine in Volnay, he began a négoce house in July 1996. Upon his father's sudden death in ... more

Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay Clos des Ducs 2005

"All I could do was to shake my head in admiration when I left the cellars of Guillaume d'Angerville and his brother-in-law Renaud de Villette, who is primarily responsible for the viticulture at the domaine (1/3 of the domaine's vineyards are now biodynamically farmed). The purity, depth of material and ... more

M. Chapoutier Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc 2005

At the very top of the appellation’s dome of decomposed granite is l’Ermite. This wine is the equivalent of drinking liquified rocks.The 2005 Ermitage l’Ermite blanc has that multi-layered mouthfeel, an extraordinary nose of intense minerality, quince, and white fruits. Some of the vines in this parcel are 130 years ... more

Taittinger La Française

Shows elegance and finesse, but also an understated power, as the initial richness gives way to the firm structure, setting the stage for biscuit, honey and ginger notes. Fine length. Drink now through 2010., Shows elegance and finesse, but also an understated power, as the initial richness gives way to ... more

Pol Roger Brut

I gleefully drank many, many glasses of this dry, elegant, impeccably made Champagne while working for Wildman, and I am continuing the tradition here at the Bottle Shop! I always love the taste & style of Pol Roger non-vintage, and apparently so does Robert Parker, who calls it his favorite ... more

Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé

We fell in love … this was so precise, elegant and tasty with raspberry and strawberry notes mingling to give you a dry, yet delicately fruity & succulent flavor. Made of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. more

Château Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe 2000

"This wine puts on weight and grows in stature every time I go back to it. In fact, from the bottle it was better than ever. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2000 Cos d'Estournel suffers only in comparison with its successor, the ... more

Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2000

An utterly profound Lynch-Bages, this wine continues to remind me of a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and 1989. Interestingly, when I asked Jean-Michel Cazes to rank his top four vintages of Lynch-Bages, he ranked the 1989 first, followed by three vintages that he said were essentially equivalent in quality ... more

Château La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Léognan 2000

A superstar of this great vintage, the 2000 La Mission Haut-Brion is as profound as the 1989, 1982, and 1975. It is more structured and tannic than the 1989, more civilized and refined, but not as thick as the 1982, and sweeter as well as purer than the 1975. The ... more

Château Monbousquet Saint Emilion 2000

From an unheralded terroir, this Monbousquet was made from extremely low yields of 28-30 hectoliters per hectare. Aged sur lie and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it exemplifies proprietor Perse's enormous efforts. Black and blue to the rim, this wine represents the essence of this terroir. Its saturated black/purple color is ... more

Château Pontet Canet Pauillac 2000

Like its neighbor, Mouton Rothschild, this wine seems to have closed down considerably after bottling. The impressively saturated opaque purple color offers up some promising aromas of black currants, vanilla, truffle, smoke, and mineral. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, powerful, layered, and enticingly textured, but oh, so backward and ... more